Raspberry-White Chocolate Bombe

 Yeah, I made this for Dessert Club back in April.  Yeah, I'm that behind in my posts.  But I'm making a comeback.  And I also made this for my friend's birthday in late May, so by that measure, I'm only two months behind.  See, I'm already catching up.

Sometimes when I get behind, I just give up and start where I am, allowing the intermediate goodies to fade into obscurity.  But I could NOT do that with da Bombe.  First, because it was a little bit of work, and I want credit for that.  Second, it is so pretty!  Or would be at more artistic hands.  Third, I love it!  Cake, mousse, raspberries, and white chocolate!  It's light, summery, sweet, whimsical, and oh-so-pretty-in-pink!  Couldn't let it slide.

The first time, I made the white cake layer from scratch.  Recipe below.  The second time, I just didn't have time so I made it from a mix, and it was just as good, if not better, so you can totally go for that option. 

The most important thing in making this cake is choosing the right mold.  It must be symmetrically rounded, preferably with a rounded bottom rather than flat.  And at the top few inches, it should be 9 inches in diameter, or as close as possible.  The first time, I used a glass dish from a nesting set I have.  But the second, I hit jackpot with a ceramic IKEA serving dish I had - it was the perfect size, and gave it a beautifully tall, rounded top.  Everything else about this cake is pretty easy, just has a few steps.  Enjoy!

 Raspberry-White Chocolate Bombe (print recipe)

Serves 12

1/4 cup raspberry liqueur, such as Chambord (I used cran-raspberry juice; you can use water)
1/4 cup raspberry-flavored gelatin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pound white chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups fresh raspberries
1 (9-inch) white cake round (see recipe below)

White chocolate curls, for decoration

FOR THE MOUSSE: Line 10-cup-capacity mixing bowl with plastic wrap. Bring liqueur to simmer in small saucepan. Stir in gelatin and salt until dissolved; remove from heat. Microwave 8 ounces white chocolate and ½ cup heavy cream in medium bowl, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, about 1½ minutes. Stir in gelatin mixture and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Whip remaining 1½ cups cream with electric mixer until soft peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes.

 Gently fold one-third of whipped cream into cooled white chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining whipped cream until incorporated. Scrape one-third of mousse into prepared bowl and stud with raspberries.

  Repeat twice with remaining mousse and berries. Place inverted cake round on top of mousse, trimming cake to fit if necessary. Cover with plastic and chill until mousse is set, about 4 hours (and up to 24 hours).

 

TO ASSEMBLE: Turn out bombe onto large cake platter. Remove plastic. Microwave remaining 8 ounces chopped chocolate in bowl until melted and gently spread over mousse and cake. Press chocolate curls into white chocolate. Cut cake with warm knife and serve.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CURLS: Use a vegetable peeler to peel curls off of a large block of chocolate. (Large blocks of chocolate make nicer shavings than thin bars of chocolate.) 

White Layer Cake

Makes one 9-inch cake round

Nonstick cooking spray 
1 1/8 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting pans
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
3 large egg whites, at room temperature 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7/8 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt 
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray one 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray, dust with flour, and tap pan to remove excess flour. Mix milk, egg whites, and vanilla together in 2-cup measuring cup.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in bowl of electric mixer at low speed. Add butter and beat at low speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.

Add all but 1/4 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/4 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer.  Pour batter in to prepared cake pan and using rubber spatula, spread into even layer. Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 21 to 25 minutes.

Rest cake in pans 3 minutes, then loosen from sides of pan with a knife. Invert onto large plate, re-invert onto wire racks. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

 

Recipe from Cook's Country, Feb 2012